These Scars
by whippasnappa
Summary: Naruto had been terribly excited to meet his new roommate. He was less excited, however, when his roommate turned out to be the world's biggest bastard. AU, Naruto and Sasuke attend university. SasuNaru.
1. Chapter 1

Hello all my lovely readers! I return to you, finally, with a little something I have been working on for a while now. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it! – Whippasnappa.

* * *

These Scars

Naruto walked into the room, taking in the surroundings. His suitcase and three boxes were stacked haphazardly outside the door, he assumed, was to be his. He walked into the communal space. The hallway had a comforting, studious smell of books and old paint. It was nice, and larger than he had been expecting. The kitchen was attached; it came complete with a stove, microwave, oven, kettle and toaster. Naruto realised he hadn't even thought to bring cooking utensils. It was probably for the best; he couldn't cook anyway, and he certainly didn't need the stove for his instant ramen noodles! He opened the first box. It was packed full of instant noodle pots. Claiming an empty cupboard for his own, he began throwing the noodle pots into the cupboard. He shut the door, ignoring the sound of the pots toppling over. Unpacking complete!

Naruto stopped and stared at the door opposite. Had his roommate already moved in? He stopped for a second, listening out for any signs of movement. It was silent. He was obviously the first to move in, then. Naruto took the key that had been placed on top of his boxes and used it to open his room door for the first time. He entered the room, taking in a breath. A Bed, desk and wardrobe silently greeted him as he stepped inside.

"Ah, nice!" he exclaimed, realising each room came with a personal bathroom.

Naruto got along extremely well with most people, yet the thought of sharing a bathroom with a person he had never met felt strange. At least he would have some semblance of privacy. The shower looked nice and roomy, too, he noted. Naruto loved taking long, hot showers and with a bathroom of his own, they would be uninterrupted. He began unpacking immediately, putting his mostly orange-hued clothes away in the wardrobe and making the bed with his bright orange bedsheets. A few more vibrant accessories and the place was already starting to feel more like home.

Naruto swallowed. Despite the troubles he had had there, he did miss his small flat back in Konoha, yet another part of him remained glad he had decided to study in another country. There was something comforting about getting away. Something about putting his past so far behind. He felt safe and excited. An entirely new fresh start! He could shape out a life entirely different to his previous one back in Konoha. He could be whomever he wanted to be. Finally, he placed slightly-worse-for-wear laptop onto the desk and shoved the now empty suitcase under the bed. Naruto stood back, taking in his handiwork. There. This was the place he would call home for the next three years.

He scratched the back of his head nervously as he realised his time here would depend on his progress. He would need to keep to deadlines and pass all his modules. Naruto had great potential, yet study never came easy. He wasn't naturally gifted and he had to work hard. He could only learn by reading the information over, and over. Exams were extremely difficult and in the past he had struggled. He knew he would need to work extremely hard to keep up this year. Yet Naruto also knew how lucky he was to be here. Rasengan University was world-renowned and prestigious. To be accepted was a great honour and Naruto wouldn't waste this opportunity. Chances like this came once in a lifetime and he had grabbed it with both hands. Though Naruto knew his acceptance hadn't been based on his average-at-best grades. They had been due to his fantastically written and heart-warming personal statement which his old college tutor, Iruka, had spent months writing and perfecting. Naruto smiled as he remembered running through the streets of Konoha, his acceptance letter in hand, straight to Iruka. They had gone to his favourite noodle stand, Ichiraku, to celebrate.

Naruto reached out and touched the photograph on his desk fondly. The only photograph he had of his parents, kindly passed to him by his Uncle. His hand drifted towards the other photograph. The edges were crinkled and worn; it was an old photograph, one of the few he had that included both himself and his Uncle, Jiraiya, before he died. The man stood tall, pure white hair gleaming in the sunlight, grinning, his hand resting affectionately atop Naruto's head, ruffling his hair. A moment captured in time, and a moment Naruto would never forget. He hadn't known Jiraiya as many years as he would have liked, but their bond had been fierce and unbreakable.

"I'll make you proud." He promised vehemently.

Naruto jumped as he heard a door click. He raced out into the communal space enthusiastically. He was so excited to meet his roommate! Naruto had always lived alone and his circumstances made sure he hadn't made many friends back home. Other than Iruka, he had left no one behind. Iruka had always told him not to worry; he'd meet his most valuable and life-long friends at university. Naruto had spent a lot of time wondering what his roommate would be like. Would he be similar? Would they like the same things? Would he like sports, or music, or art? He wondered if they would be studying the same; the admissions team had advised, where possible, they roomed students according to subject, so they would already have something in common and a reason to relate. Studying the same subject would indeed be a great icebreaker.

Naruto blinked as he finally came face-to-face with his roommate for the first time. The person he would be living with for the next three years. Somehow, he wasn't what Naruto had expected. Tall, with impossibly dark eyes and stylish dark hair and alabaster skin. He stood slightly taller than Naruto, though his build was slimmer, yet obviously muscular. Sleek but dangerous, like a panther. Naruto beamed, immediately extending his hand.

"Hi! I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" he exclaimed, grinning wolfishly.

The dark figure didn't move or make a sound of acknowledgement. Dark eyes roamed over him, before throwing him a distasteful look. Naruto supposed he was probably homesick and shy. Hesitating, he pulled his hand back.

"It's great to meet you!" he said, still smiling.

Sasuke simply walked away, purposely brushing past as he walked into the kitchen.

"Hn."

The simple, arrogant snort and purposeful shove set Naruto's teeth on edge. Was he not worthy of a reply? The smile had quickly fallen from Naruto's face. Who did this guy think he was? There was no need to be so rude!

"And your name is?" he asked, trying desperately to smooth things over. He refused to waver under the scrutinising gaze of dark eyes.

His head jumbled with all the potential ice-breaking questions. Should he comment on the weather? That always seemed to work. Ask about hobbies? Pets? People always liked to talk about pets. There had been that frog that had followed him to work every morning for six months, did that count?

"Not your business." He replied, breaking Naruto from his thoughts.

The voice was deep and smooth, the accent aristocratic, pronouncing every syllable carefully. Somehow, exactly what Naruto had expected. Naruto bristled; he was so disappointed. His roommate was a complete and utter _bastard_.

"Not my…?" he trailed off, unable to process the incredulity of the situation. In what world did a person introduce themselves, only to be told an exchange of names was not their business? Did this asshole think they would be living together for the foreseeable future and not exchange names? That they would never speak?

"I can't believe I've been roomed with a complete bastard like you!" he snapped bitterly, arms waving wildly, still enthused with anger that a person could be so rude they outright refused to introduce themselves, by name, to their own roommate. It was unheard of and entirely unexpected. Naruto had been prepared for so many scenarios, yet this hadn't made the list.

Sasuke's eyebrow raised. This guy was unbelievable. He'd never met someone so utterly obnoxious before. And the orange he was wearing was simply offensive to the eyes. Sasuke had been hoping for a quiet roommate, one whom liked to keep themselves to themselves and focused on their studies. Apparently fate had not been kind. Sasuke couldn't _stand_ loud people and Naruto's voice was both loud and annoying. He immediately began to doubt how this _Naruto_ had even been accepted to Rasengan; wasn't this place only supposed to accept the best? Sasuke doubted he could even pass the entrance exam by the looks of him, considering the boy could barely manage to dress himself.

"Yes, well," Sasuke began coolly. "Imagine my disappointment at being paired with a loudmouth idiot like you."

Naruto's mouth hung open at the retort and Sasuke couldn't help but smirk. Winding Naruto up was so satisfyingly easy. Naruto, his face like thunder, stormed from the room. He didn't want to look at the stupid rude bastards face any longer than necessary and getting in a fist-fight in his first few hours as a student wouldn't set the right tone. The face he would be stuck with for the next three years. The front door clicked behind him and he finally let out a loud groan.

"Asshole." He bemoaned.

A head popped around from the apartment opposite.

"Hey, you alright, man?"

Naruto was taken off guard. He laughed, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, realising how weird he looked, standing in the corridor mumbling to himself.

"Ah! Yeah! I…er… I just met my roommate. Turns out he's a complete asshole." He explained.

The other face cracked into a grin as he emerged fully from around the door. Naruto couldn't help but notice the two strange, prominent tattoos on the boy's face. They looked like vampire teeth; bright red, one either side of his face on each cheek. The tattooed face nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

"Yeah, he arrived with us a week back. He seems like an ass," the boy agreed. "Wouldn't even speak to us or nothin'!"

Naruto wasn't surprised, given his experience of the last ten minutes. It took him a moment to realise he still didn't even know his roommates name. Bastard would have to do. The boy came into the hallway. His demeanour was relaxed and friendly. He was wearing a large, oversized hoodie and tracksuit bottoms.

"I'm Kiba, by the way." He said, offering his hand to Naruto.

Almost weak with relief, Naruto took it gratefully. Finally, someone friendly! This was more like the experience he had been hoping for.

"Naruto!" he replied. "Naruto Uzumaki!"

"Like I said, we've already been here for a bit. Got the Xbox set up and everything, man. You wana join? Since your roommate is a dick and all?" he offered.

Naruto's face cracked into a grin, all thoughts of his awful roommate pushed from his mind, regaining his original enthusiasm at getting to meet some new people.

"You bet!"

It was late into the night before Naruto returned back to his own dorm and he had truly enjoyed the time he had spent across at Kiba's. He was friendly, and they had hit it off immediately. It turned out they had a lot in common and the same ridiculous sense of humour. Kiba's roommate was great, too, and Naruto was bitterly jealous he had been stuck with the bastard. He could say with certainty he was roomed with the most arrogant, rude, conceited person on the entire campus. He was very grateful Kiba was across the hall and if the bastard kept up his behaviour he had a feeling he would be spending a lot of time over there. Kiba's flatmate, Chouji, had suggested they take Naruto down to the other flats below and introduce him to the others. Kiba had said they were friendly with some of the guys down there and Naruto had nearly bitten his hand off at the invitation. 'You'll love Shika,' Kiba had exclaimed. 'Though he's a lazy ass! Oh, oh, and Sakura and Ino' he'd added with a wink.

Naruto smiled, full of expectations for tomorrow, as he poured boiling water into his noodle cup. He was starving. They had been playing Xbox for hours, getting to know each other and exchanging stories. It was then he realised dark eyes were watching him from across the room. He jumped, the boiling water spilling everywhere.

"Jesus-fuck!" he exclaimed.

Letting out a whine of pain, he ran his burning red hand under the cold tap.

"Problems, idiot?" came the smooth retort.

Naruto could see the dark eyes illuminated by the light from the kitchen space. He had been sitting in the corner of the communal space in the dark. Naruto hadn't even noticed him when he'd walked in.

"The fuck are you doing sitting in the dark anyway?" Naruto snapped back, irritated, already feeling his good mood starting to be sucked away. Fucking emo bastard. Maybe he was a vampire, or more likely the spawn of Satan, and he fed on the misery of others. Both were reasonable explanations to how god-awful the person standing before him was.

He set the kettle boiling again so he could finish up his noodles. Now he was starving _and_ burned.

"Hn." The figure retreated into his room and Naruto rolled his eyes as he heard the door lock. It was going to be a long semester and Naruto wondered if he couldn't just drag his bed into the dorm across the hall and live in Kiba and Chouji's living room.

"What an arrogant _bastard_." He reiterated angrily, slurping the noodles, enjoying his first ever meal as a University student. The taste was comforting and familiar, yet did nothing to ease his nerves on how this new roommate situation was going to unfold. What a year he was going to have.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, as promised, Kiba and Chouji collected Naruto to make the introductions downstairs. Kiba had explained how pretty Sakura and Ino were. Naruto was even more excited to meet them and Sakura sounded like someone he would get along with really well. Naruto hadn't had a girlfriend before. He'd kissed a few girls in college, but that was about as far as he had gone. He had been waiting for so long for an opportunity like this. While his roommate hadn't been all that he had expected and it was obvious they weren't ever going to become close friends, Naruto had already made the friends he had been hoping for. His bond was quickly growing with Kiba and Sakura and her long candy-pink hair sounded outgoing and exciting.

Naruto invited them in to his communal space. Kiba blinked.

"Weird, man. All our dorms are identical. It's creepy." He said, taking in the surroundings.

Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, but unfortunately I've got something yours hasn't." he said, in mock woe, rolling his eyes and inclining his head towards Sasuke's door. The door remained locked and silent, as usual. The whole vicinity of Sasuke's room had a 'trespassers will be shot' aura. Kiba snorted with laughter.

"Thank fuck for that!" he exclaimed loudly.

The noise drew the beast from hiding and Sasuke threw his door open, glowering at the two boys in his living space. Chouji was in the kitchen, rummaging for something to eat, already making himself at home. Sasuke took them in; almost identical, idiotic grins. Though starkly different in colour, their hair both had the same spiky, unruly quality.

"Great. Now there's two of you." He surmised, irritated, before rudely slamming his door in their faces.

This had Naruto and Kiba bursting into loud laughter. Sasuke heard it through the thin walls and it made him seethe with repressed rage. One idiot, he could deal with. But two? His patience was already thin. How was he supposed to study with those two cackling away day and night? He wondered if it were too late for a room transfer. Anything had to be better than this, and just something about Naruto irked him to no end.

"Someone didn't get their beauty sleep!" the comment travelled through Sasuke's door and he grit his teeth. Between the muffling of the door and Kiba and Naruto's similar mannerisms, he couldn't tell which one had shouted. He then heard more noise as something, probably mundane, made the pair burst out laughing again.

"Are you truly planning on living off…this?" Chouji asked, gesturing to the cupboard full of instant ramen. 

Naruto smiled as he remembered Iruka's concerned warnings that he wouldn't live until his thirties if he kept consuming the same amount of instant noodles.

"Is this in Japanese? What is this?"

Sasuke's interest was piqued and he continued to listen to their conversation through the paper-thin walls.

"Ah, yeah!" came Naruto's loud reply. "I'm from Konoha."

Naruto elaborated as Kiba and Chouji's showed no recognition.

"Japan! This is ramen. The best food you'll ever taste!" he said.

Sasuke rolled his eyes as Naruto went off on a tangent, talking loudly and animatedly about ramen. All the different kinds, and his favourite place to eat back home, and how the instant kind didn't do it any justice. Sasuke processed this information slowly. It was strange that Naruto was, too, from Japan. Sasuke hadn't grown up there, but he did have Japanese ancestry. Sasuke hadn't detected it before which he supposed he should have, from Naruto's surname. The shocking blonde hair and impossibly blue eyes had thrown Sasuke off, however.

They moved away from the door and Sasuke could only hear mumbles of conversation and could no longer make out the words. Bored, Sasuke moved away and sat back at his desk, picking up a book and diving in.

"Shit, we should get going!" Kiba exclaimed.

Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Let me grab my keys," he said, shuffling over and grabbing them from the table. Something on the table grabbed Naruto's eye. His roommate's student card. He picked it up. The bastard was looking as surly as ever in the photo. He read the card, and for the first time, could put a name to the bastard face.

"Sasuke, eh?" he breathed.

Kiba called from the corridor. Naruto dropped the card, pocketed his keys, and ran to catch up with Kiba and Chouji. He made sure to slam the door as loudly as possible. That would annoy _Sasuke_ for sure.

* * *

The introductions had gone well and Naruto felt warmed by the fact that he was beginning many friendships already. Naruto had been one of the later arrivals to the block and hadn't had the previous week to meet and bond with all the other students, but Kiba and Chouji had made sure Naruto had been introduced to everyone they had met so far. Naruto wasn't surprised Kiba had made so many fast friends; he was very outgoing, funny, and likeable.

The term started tomorrow, and there would be less free time for socialising, so Naruto felt it was important he met people now where there was time. Sakura had been even more beautiful than Kiba had described. Her pink hair was long and soft-looking, showing she was not only pretty, but edgy, too. They'd made eye contact, and Naruto had smiled. She had smiled back, and Naruto vowed the next time he would screw up the courage and go over and talk to her. Information gleaned from Kiba, Naruto knew that Sakura was studying medicine. Naruto found it hard to believe someone could be so smart and so beautiful at the same time.

Naruto jumped from his thoughts as he heard muffled shouting from Sasuke's room. Warily, he cracked open his door, staring at Sasuke's door opposite. The door was shut as usual.

 _Was he having a fight in there with someone? Did he need to call the campus police or something? Did he need to call the actual police?_

Naruto remembered reading the number for the campus security in the handbook. Now he wished he'd paid closer attention. Sasuke's voice sounded again, angry and cold. Naruto chewed his lip nervously, shifting his weight from foot to foot, trying to decide what to do. He heard Sasuke speak again and came to a realisation.

 _He's on the phone!_

Naruto felt suddenly disappointed. Watching Sasuke get punched around the dorm would have put him in a better mood for sure. In fact, seeing Sasuke get hit in the face probably would have made his week. Naruto had a gloomy feeling he and Sasuke would eventually come to blows. Naruto really struggled to control his temper around Sasuke. Something about his cold, impassive face really boiled Naruto's blood. He also took no responsibility for his rude and arrogant comments. Naruto wondered if an apology had ever passed Sasuke's lips. It was doubtful.

Sasuke was shouting again and Naruto frowned. What on earth could be making Sasuke shout so angrily? What, or _who_ could manage to draw such emotion from Sasuke? He'd been cold as ice since Naruto had met him. He was intrigued to know who Sasuke had been talking to. He hadn't had any visitors since the term had started. Sasuke's door suddenly flew open and blue eyes met black.

Naruto looked like a deer in headlights, suddenly aware that Sasuke had caught him snooping. Well, not exactly _snooping_ , per se. Sasuke looked furious. His face was slightly flushed from anger.

"Are… are you okay?" Naruto asked awkwardly.

As rude as Sasuke had been, he was still a person. Naruto was empathetic to a fault. He couldn't help but worry about Sasuke. Maybe there was a reason he was such a rude asshole. Sasuke's eyes hardened.

"Go fuck yourself." He hissed to Naruto, before retreating back into his room.

Naruto sighed. Or maybe, just maybe, Sasuke was born with a sneer.

* * *

Sasuke was stirring his green tea, half watching the smoke tendrils rise from the cup, half watching Naruto with his peripheral vision. It seemed Naruto was having some kind of mini-meltdown at the kitchen table. Papers and books were scattered everywhere. Naruto snapped his pencil in half, grabbing handfuls of blonde hair in frustration.

"The fuck," Naruto hissed.

Sasuke took a sip of the bitter tea, watching, amused. He sauntered over and picked up one of the books.

"Statistics for science?" he read aloud.

He was surprised Naruto was studying something requiring statistics. He had pegged Naruto for a media or drama student. Something useless just like the person himself. Naruto gave him a glare and snatched the book back. He flipped through some pages, not taking in any of the information.

"This doesn't make sense." He said mournfully, looking down at his broken pencil pieces.

"Serves you right for being a dumbass." Sasuke supplied childishly.

Naruto didn't seem to hear him as he rifled through the pages once more.

"I don't… this is due tomorrow. I can't fail my induction assignment. I can't fail this, they won't let me progress to the next module." He muttered to himself.

Sasuke sighed as he realised Naruto was truly stressed. He snatched up the assignment.

"Hey!" Naruto hissed.

Sasuke scanned the pages. It seemed simple enough, though Sasuke supposed he couldn't be the judge; he had always had an affinity for maths and statistics. Most Uchiha's did, especially his mother. She had been brilliant and he had always run to her first with help with his homework. If Naruto had had the qualifications to get on the course in the first place, he shouldn't be struggling with statistics.

"You didn't do this in college?" Sasuke queried.

"Obviously not." Naruto replied, trying to snatch them back, but Sasuke held them just out of reach. Naruto let his head drop to the table in misery making overdramatic groaning noises.

"You'll need help." Sasuke stated.

Naruto's head lifted, throwing Sasuke and incredulous look.

"No shit." He muttered. "I'll go see Kiba." He said, still trying to get the assignment back.

Sasuke snorted, genuinely amused. Those two idiots couldn't screw in a light bulb between them, let alone complete something moderately difficult.

"Kiba? He's a brain-dead moron. He studies _art_." Sasuke says distastefully.

He had no time for the arts. It didn't belong as a university subject. Colouring with crayons did not warrant a qualification. When Itachi had been young, he had expressed an interesting in going to an art school. Their Father had refused to speak to Itachi for three months.

Naruto huffed.

"Well, Shikamaru, then."

Hadn't he been studying economics? Or was it politics now? Either way, he'd _looked_ like a smart guy. Lazy, but smart. Sasuke rolled his eyes and placed the paper down. He picked up one of the pencils that Naruto hadn't assaulted. He drew some numbers on the page.

"You do it like this," he explained, the pencil making a satisfying scratching sound against the paper.

Naruto watched Sasuke as he drew, doubtful if Sasuke were truly offering help or if it would end in a prank. Naruto realised he hadn't actually been this close to Sasuke before. His eyes really were so impossibly dark and at this distance, Naruto could swear the shiny hair framing Sasuke's face had a slight blue tinge.

"Does that make more sense?" Sasuke asked.

His voice was different when he wasn't angry or annoyed, Naruto noted. Dark eyes caught his own and it made Naruto shiver. Whose eyes were _that_ black anyway? He stared at the paper for a few moments.

"Actually, yeah." Naruto admitted begrudgingly.

Five seconds of Sasuke's time was more valuable than two hours with that stupid book. Naruto glared at the offending book. Sasuke pushed the pencil into his hand and pointed to the next question.

"Now you do this, the same." He said.

Naruto took the pencil warily. Using Sasuke's example, stabbing at the calculator, he finished the problem.

"Is that… is that right?" he asked anxiously.

"Yes. Next one." Sasuke said, not giving Naruto a second to celebrate.

Naruto successfully completed half the questions. Sasuke walked away, leaving him to the rest. Naruto cleared his throat.

"Er…" he trailed off. "Thanks, Sasuke."

The genuine gratefulness took Sasuke by surprise. He hid the feeling well. Sasuke also realised it was the first time Naruto had used his name. He didn't recall telling it, but he decided not to question it.

"Hn."

Naruto successfully completed another question and heard Sasuke's door click. Was this progress? Were they making progress? Sasuke helped, did this mean Sasuke hated him less now for some reason? Naruto tried to push it from him mind as he realised he did have a lot of work left to do before tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a long, tiring week, but Naruto had passed his induction assignment, and in no small part thanks to Sasuke's help. Since Sasuke had reached out and helped him that one time, Naruto felt like the barrier between them had been broken ever so slightly. He knew Sasuke would be a tough nut to crack, but Naruto liked a challenge. He hummed, walking through the hall, stirring his cup of noodles, watching them soften and swell as they absorbed the water.

He stopped dead as he heard shouting coming from Sasuke's room. Naruto supposed he was on the phone again, but the shouting was louder and obviously more heated. Naruto hesitated as he stood parallel to Sasuke's door. He carefully set his cup down on the small wooden table in the hallway. His hand wavered awkwardly before the door, wondering if to knock or not. Sasuke probably wouldn't answer anyway. The hairs on the back of Naruto's neck stood up. Something felt _wrong._

Pushing aside his doubt, Naruto pushed open the door. He almost didn't know what to do with himself when the door simply pushed open. It was very rare Sasuke left his door unlocked.

"You murdered our family, you fucker! What else did you expect?" Sasuke snarled.

Naruto didn't know if he'd made a noise, but Sasuke's eyes were on him. He threw his phone against the wall and Naruto jumped. The pieces of metal and plastic scattered everywhere and the phone was obviously beyond repair. Naruto closed his open mouth and swallowed nervously. Sasuke was _really_ angry. He stood deadly still, cursing his own curiosity, wishing he had just gone into his room, ignored the shouting, and eaten his noodles in blissful ignorance. Sasuke stalked across the room with impressive speed, grabbing Naruto by the collar and pulling him into the room.

"You tell no one what you heard!" he hissed, pressing Naruto into the wall.

"Ow, fuck! Fine, Sasuke!" Naruto muttered.

His shoulder throbbed where Sasuke had shoved him to the wall. From this view, he could see the small dent in the wall Sasuke's phone had made. He hoped this wouldn't come out of his share of the security deposit; he didn't have money to burn just because Sasuke couldn't hold his temper.

"You tell no one!"

Naruto could have sworn Sasuke's eyes flashed red for a second.

"I said I wouldn't!" Naruto said honestly.

Sasuke's grip finally lessened. Naruto swallowed again. Sasuke looked lost, but at least his initial anger seemed to have deflated somewhat. He'd never seen Sasuke so ruffled before and it was almost pleasing to see at least he was human on the inside. At least something had the power to shake Sasuke from his usual stoic nature. Yet Naruto had the sick, sinking feeling he had overheard something extremely private and personal. Naruto knew that thought alone would be burning Sasuke from the inside out. He had been desperate for Sasuke to share something about himself, something other than the shallow, superficial layer he portrayed to everyone else, but this seemed too far.

"If you need help with anything I'm here." Naruto offered awkwardly. He was thinking desperately of his abandoned noodles in the hallway.

He didn't make eye contact, but Naruto knew without looking Sasuke's eyes had narrowed dangerously.

"Just shut up and get out." Sasuke said, though his voice held much less venom than before. He just sounded exasperated and tired.

Naruto decided to heed Sasuke's words and slunk from the room. Sasuke sighed heavily, sitting down on the edge of his bed. He pushed the remnants of his broken phone with his foot, vowing that he wouldn't lose his temper like that again, especially not when he had an audience across the hall. Sasuke swallowed nervously as he assessed the situation. He didn't know how much of the phone conversation Naruto had heard. He also couldn't trust Naruto on his word that he wouldn't tell anyone what he had overheard. The blonde didn't strike Sasuke as the type to engage in idle gossip, but he did have a seemingly incessant lust for conversation. If Naruto so much as breathed a whisper of this to any of his equally loud-mouthed friends it would spread through the halls like wildfire. Sasuke ground his teeth angrily. The thought of having his private business made public was infuriating, especially since he made such an effort to internalise most of his unnecessary emotions and keep his business his own.

A soft knock on the door made Sasuke jump from his thoughts. He jumped into action, quickly scraping together his broken phone pieces from the floor and stashing them neatly in his desk drawer.

"What?"

Sasuke watched incredulously as blonde hair appeared at his door again. Sasuke groaned and rubbed his eyes. Naruto emerged further, placing a cup down on Sasuke's desk. Sasuke eyed the object warily. It was bright orange and chipped in several places; obviously one of Naruto's mugs.

"I made you a drink. It'll make you feel better." Naruto explained.

He might not know exactly what kind of trouble Sasuke had gotten himself in, but it sounded serious. He knew Sasuke wouldn't be the kind of person to take him up on an offer of talking through his problems, so this was as close as he could get to breaking through to Sasuke. Letting him know he wasn't going through it alone and even though they were tearing each other's throats out most of the time, he did at least have one person in the world he could turn to. Naruto had caught Sasuke around the campus from time to time and had never seen him walking with anyone. He was always alone, earphones in, listening to music and shutting the world out. Naruto also had never seen Sasuke leave the dorm other than for classes and no friends of Sasuke's had ever come to call for him. This led Naruto to the only sad conclusion; Sasuke hadn't made any friends.

It was unsurprising. He was cold, rude, and arrogant. But Naruto knew what it was like to feel isolated and alone. He knew how it felt when no one would give you the time of day. Naruto felt warmed when he thought of all the friends he had made so far and the year had only just begun. It was only fair Sasuke had at least one friend too.

"It's hot chocolate." He offered.

Iruka had shown him how to make the best hot chocolate. Iruka had made them all the time, topped with cream and marshmellows. Other than sitting at the ramen stand enjoying some miso pork ramen, it was one of his fondest childhood memories. Naruto wondered if Sasuke had the same kind of memories with his family. His eyes scanned the room and he didn't see any photographs. To his surprise, Sasuke stood and took the cup. Sasuke took a drink. It was warm and comforting and surprisingly a little bitter. Sasuke made a begrudging noise of acknowledgment. Naruto couldn't help but smile as he saw Sasuke's scowl fade. The power of the hot chocolate was unbeatable!

"Good right?" he said with a wink.

Sasuke pointedly ignored the wink.

"You really won't tell anyone what you heard?" Sasuke reiterated.

He loathed how weak he sounded to his own ears, almost like he was begging for confirmation from Naruto that he could keep his damn mouth shut.

"I won't, I swear." He said.

He didn't need a reminder of how private a person Sasuke was. He knew people knowing private business was probably a horrifying thought to his roommate.

"Why?" he asked.

Naruto cocked his head to the side.

"What do you mean, why?"

Sasuke had to wonder what Naruto would want in return for his silence. Then again, Sasuke still had no way of knowing how much he had heard and what he had managed to piece together of the situation. Naruto's willingness to keep to his word made Sasuke feel uneasy.

"I mean, what do you want from me?" Sasuke asked.

"You think I'd only keep my mouth shut to get something from you?" he asked slowly.

Sasuke could hear the surprise in Naruto's voice and wondered if he were really that naïve.

"Well?" Sasuke pressed.

Either Naruto was young and naïve, or deviously calculating. If he had taken a moment to look into Sasuke's history, he wouldn't find much, but Sasuke knew even from a simple google search Naruto could deduce one or two things. One of those was Sasuke substantial wealth. Naruto's computer was old and his clothes worn. He lived off cup ramen and all of his textbooks were second hand. Naruto was a typical student. A typical student that could use an injection of cash that could come with blackmailing his wealthy roommate.

But Naruto looked disappointed, not expectant.

"If you'd taken a moment to get to know me, you'd know how ridiculous you sound." Naruto said. He shrugged, and the disappointment disappeared from his face.

Sasuke took a moment, calculating the situation.

"I wouldn't blackmail anyone for anything, Sasuke, that's not my style." Naruto said.

"That so, I find it hard to believe you're really this naive." Sasuke admitted aloud.

"Alright then, now you mention it, there is something I want from you!" Naruto said, turning to face Sasuke directly, their eyes locked.

Sasuke huffed haughtily, the sound righteous and knowing.

"I want to be your friend." Naruto said.

The smug expression slid from Sasuke's face. He blinked.

"I'm sorry, what are we, five years old?" He said with a scowl, his voice patronising.

Naruto's naked innocence and willingness to express himself so openly was, for some reason, unbelievably infuriating to Sasuke. At a young age, his father had taught him the importance of forethought. To think everything through first, before speaking. Never to appear foolish. To do so would disrespect the family name and tarnish the reputation they had worked so hard to build.

His brother had been the epitome of nonchalance; his face had never given away a single emotion. Yet, when he had been alone with Itachi, his older brother had dropped the façade immediately. It seemed his actions were only for their fathers benefit and Itachi could bring up those walls again at a moments notice. It was impressive and one of the things Sasuke had always admired about his brother and, as a small child, one of the behaviours he tried to emulate.

Sasuke suppressed a shudder at the memory of his brother and tried to bring himself back to the current situation. He took another sip of the drink made by Naruto.

"Perhaps we can make friendship bracelets, and I'll braid your hair." He said mockingly.

Pleasingly, this got a reaction from Naruto, who pinked slightly and looked away.

"Would it be the worst thing, to be my friend?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke could sense the poorly hidden vulnerability. He ignored it.

"You're annoying." He supplied.

"That's not a reason!" Naruto spluttered, indignant.

"You wear orange." Sasuke supplied. That in itself were reason enough not to form a friendship. It had also been the basis of Sasuke's instant dislike to Naruto. No person worthy of his precious attention would willingly wear orange.

Naruto grasped his brightly coloured shirt in mock offense.

"I look great in orange!"

"It's annoying to look at. You're annoying."

"Ah!" Naruto shouted. "You can't use the same excuse twice!" he pointed his finger in Sasuke's face obnoxiously.

Sasuke batted his hand away, realising he was losing the will to continue this childish argument. He was also surprised Naruto had been able to engage him in something so juvenile.

"Maybe you could just start being less of an ass? How about that?" Naruto teased.

"Perhaps." Sasuke mused.

It took a moment for Naruto to realise Sasuke was being, or at least an attempt, to be funny. He cracked a grin.

"Alright then!" he said, with renewed excitement. "There's a party going on tomorrow night and I think you should come!"

Sasuke's immediate reaction was to refuse, but then he remembered how easily Naruto had agreed to not mention his outburst to anyone. He supposed he should express a little gratitude and take Naruto up on his offer. He could tell Naruto seemed extremely enthusiastic about them both attending this party. He was probably trying to find something for them to bond over to try and push forward this unlikely and slightly annoying friendship.

"Fine." He said.

Naruto jumped up, excited.

"Yes!" he exclaimed. "It's going to be great! I better text Kiba and let him know you're coming, he'll be so surprised!"

Sasuke groaned at the mention of Naruto's equally loud and over-the-top companion. He let his head fall into his hands as Naruto bounced off across the hall to spread the 'good' news. Sasuke knew he had a reputation for being somewhat of a hermit, and it seemed the entire block of flats had taken it upon themselves to ensure he was integrated into the rest of the friendship group. If Sasuke had just been shy, he might have been thankful for their efforts. Yet Sasuke wasn't shy. He was introverted by choice and necessity and he would prefer it to stay that way.

Yet, somehow, on Friday night, he had signed himself up for a party. He groaned again. What on earth had he agreed to?


	4. Chapter 4

Sasuke had attended the party as expected by Naruto and as much as he loathed to admit it, it hadn't been utterly terrible. Naruto had made the effort to introduce him to the other students and Sasuke had found Shikamaru and Shino to be mostly tolerable. Since accepting Naruto's invitation to go to the party, regardless of Naruto's true intentions, it seemed Naruto had kept his word. At least, the university newspaper hadn't been knocking down their doors for the scoop, so Sasuke assumed his secret was safe. At least for now. He found it difficult to comprehend that Naruto truly had no darker motives. It just wasn't natural and despite Naruto's seemingly innocent and friendly demeanour, Sasuke felt he sensed something else under the surface. Something darker and akin to Sasuke's own true self. If Naruto was putting up a front, eventually it would be exposed.

The classes picked up a brisk pace, as did the assignments, and the pair had formed a predictable routine. Sasuke even found himself joining Naruto weekly when he would join the dorm opposite for movies and game nights. While the loud combination of Naruto and Kiba still set Sasuke's nerves on edge, he somehow found it more companionable that sitting alone in his room at night. The other members of the group had also become accustomed to Sasuke joining them and, suspiciously, since Sasuke's visits, Sakura's presence was on the increase too. Naruto sat down next to him to eat his ramen, another routine Sasuke had somehow found himself adopting. Without noticing, their mealtimes had started to overlap and eventually Naruto just joined him for dinner each night. Naruto leaned back into the old, stained sofa, throwing his legs onto Sasuke's lap. The familiarity made Sasuke uncomfortable. Sasuke threw him off with a scowl.

He shouldn't be surprised, really, Naruto was friendly and tactile with most people he met. For some reason this thought only irked him further. Possibly because the man before him couldn't be more polar opposite if he tried.

"I was thinking, when I made dinner tomorrow, I could make some for the both of us?" Naruto asked.

"Why?"

Naruto hadn't expected that. He had expected a retort about his severe lack of cooking skills or a reminder that Sasuke would rather claw out his own eyeballs than eat instant ramen.

"What do you mean, _why_?" Naruto asked, pulling a face.

"It's a self-explanatory question, moron. Why?" he asked again.

"Someone offers to cook for you and you just ask why? I'm doing you a favour, I guess? Something nice?" he said with a shrug. Naruto rolled his eyes and almost wished he hadn't bothered to extend the offer. It wasn't often he cooked anything in particular, other than instant ramen, so he thought it would have been a nice gesture to Sasuke. An unappreciated one at that. He idly wondered why he had made the offer in the first place, knowing this was the likely reaction.

"Something…nice." Sasuke repeated slowly. The words felt weird in his mouth.

Naruto rolled his eyes again, sighed, and took a long slurp of noodles before speaking.

"Well, yeah, that's what friends do!" he said, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

Sasuke didn't suppress a look of distaste, at both Naruto's words and his actions.

"We're not friends." He insisted, his face crinkling in disgust again.

"Oh no?" Naruto asked, his expression suddenly playful and light. He placed his ramen down on the table and sat cross-legged, facing Sasuke. He brought his hand to his face in mock thought, eyes squinting, almost completely closed. With the scars across his face, it almost made Naruto look like a fox.

"You've helped me with my assignments four times in the past two weeks." He said.

Sasuke shrugged.

"I like charity work."

Naruto snorted, imagining Sasuke doing some real charity work, giving back to the community, helping the homeless. It was laughable. Naruto snapped his fingers as he thought of a good example.

"On Monday, you knew I hadn't had time to get out because my assignment was due, so you picked me up groceries!" he said, triumphantly.

"I was at the shop anyway." Sasuke reasoned.

"Ah, but you didn't have to!"

"Rather that, than having to listen to you moan about how hungry you are." He countered.

"You bought me _ramen_."

Sasuke didn't have a response to this, and his cheeks pinked slightly at the memory. It was true, he had picked up some things for Naruto while he had been shopping. Naruto had been working non-stop and barely eating at all. Sasuke had happened to notice his usual stash of ramen had been getting low and for some reason had felt compelled to pick up some extra items while shopping. He stopped eating to silently ponder his actions. It had been so unlike him to consider anyone, let alone an idiot like Naruto, and do a favour without being appropriately compensated. He'd helped Naruto without a second thought. Something was changing and he didn't like it. On the other hand, Naruto was his roommate, and he was entirely _unbearable_ when he was hungry. Facilitating feeding Naruto was more like the lesser of two evils.

"We're not friends." Sasuke insisted, too irritated to think of a proper basis for an argument.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Now be a _pal_ and pass me the salt, yeah?" Naruto gestured to the table.

Sasuke passed it over silently. _Friendship._ From the beginning, Naruto had been insistent on somehow forcing his way into Sasuke's life. And it seemed, somehow, he had been successful. At some point, without noticing, Sasuke had been drawn into conversation. He had been enjoying Naruto's company. He hadn't genuinely enjoyed the company of another person for many years and suddenly he felt vulnerable.

Naruto added an inordinate amount of salt to his already salty noodles, and continued to slurp. Sasuke watched his cheeks puff as he sucked up the noodles and his eyes were drawn again to the scars on Naruto's face. It were as though sometimes they appeared darker, or thicker, but Sasuke knew that had to be his imagination. Over time, he had contemplated the origin of Naruto's scars, but for some reason now more than ever, he felt compelled to know more.

"How did you get those scars?" he asked, the words tumbling from his mouth unbidden. He almost sighed in contempt for his own actions. He felt like a child again, just blurting out everything that came to his head. He was picking up Naruto's awful habits.

"They aren't birthmarks, like I first thought." He said simply. They were too straight and too perfect.

Naruto stopped, placing his empty cup down on the table.

"Usually people don't ask." He said. He didn't look up. "They feel too awkward about it."

"And when they do ask?"

"I tell them it was my initiation to the mafia." He said with a wink, tapping his cheeks.

Sasuke knew he was asking something personal; Naruto always made light of the most important things.

"What do you really tell them?" he asked.

Naruto shrugged, shuffling on the sofa, still not lifting his eyes to Sasuke's.

"I'm serious, that's what I say. People usually laugh and drop the subject." He admitted. He looked up and their eyes met. Sasuke swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry.

"It isn't something I like to talk about." He added. The usual cheer was gone from Naruto's face and the atmosphere in the room had shifted. It was rare Naruto had a serious moment and stopped trying to laugh and joke about everything. In that moment, Sasuke felt as though this side of Naruto were something he could find a friend in. He pushed that thought aside.

"That's something I can understand." Sasuke admitted.

"If I tell you, will you tell me who you were on the phone with?" he asked.

Naruto saw Sasuke's automatic defences reach maximum and a dark look pass his face, yet Sasuke didn't stalk out the room. He simply sat in silence for a moment, considering the offer.

"Perhaps."

"Alright, well, you know I used to live in a small village?"

Sasuke nodded.

"We didn't have a lot of crime. It was quite a small place and everyone knew everyone." He said. He began picking at the threads on the sofa as he spoke.

"There was this guy, he came to town passing through one August, he said he could sense the devil inside you or some rubbish like that. He kept insisting there was a devil among our village. It scared the life out of the older superstitious folk. A lot of the older generation really believed in the old tales about demons in the village. We were used to passers-through so we didn't really pay him any attention. At least, I didn't. Until I came face to face with him down an alley one night."

Naruto pulled a large thread from the sofa and flicked it away absentmindedly. Sasuke took a large breath in, dreading where this was going.

"I don't think he was…all there. He kept saying that there was a demon inside me, that he'd killed the source, but I still remained. I didn't realise it at the time but he'd been to my home first and killed my parents." He said quietly.

Sasuke felt his heart thud loudly in empathy. He had sensed something, beneath his sunny exterior, but he hadn't even begun to comprehend that Naruto had faced horrors not unlike his own.

"He had a knife, and said he would make sure everyone could see on the outside what I was on the inside. He said if I didn't stay still, he'd cut my throat." Naruto took a breath before continuing. "We had a legend in the village, of Kyuubi, the nine-tailed demon fox, and I was marked in his likeness."

"But you escaped?" Sasuke asked softly.

"Yeah, I was on the floor of the alley and felt something by my hand. It was a shard of glass, from a broken bottle I think, and I stabbed him in the neck and escaped."

Sasuke took a moment to imagine Naruto, bleeding and fighting for his life, and it made his insides feel twisted and tight. He wondered how old Naruto had been when he had been attacked. The scars were obviously old and well-healed. He felt compelled to reach out and touch Naruto, but he resisted the urge.

"It was my brother. On the phone." Sasuke said.

Naruto's eyes were wide, and the moment Sasuke had uttered the words he regretted it. He hadn't revealed information like this to anyone else before.

"I didn't even know you had a brother." Naruto said.

"I don't. I did. It's complicated." Sasuke's tone was stressed and final, and Naruto could tell he wouldn't be willingly sharing anything. He was disappointed, but he didn't want to push Sasuke into revealing something personal until he was ready. Naruto knew the personal strain it took to say something so important out loud.

"It's alright," he said softly. "You'll tell me when you're ready!"

With that, Naruto leant back into the sofa, and jabbed the remote at the television, turning it on. He flicked through the channels. Sasuke was grateful for Naruto's carefree attitude towards the reveal about his brother and he felt especially grateful that Naruto was allowing him the privacy he needed, despite revealing something so personal about his own life.

Sasuke watched Naruto as he watched the television and felt that somehow, something in their dynamic had permanently shifted.


	5. Chapter 5

Sasuke watched Naruto chat away with Kiba. They cheered over something and finished their drinks. They were laughing again seconds later. Sasuke rolled his eyes. Did they ever stop laughing? The friendship dynamic between the pair had always baffled and slightly infuriated Sasuke.

On the surface it seemed shallow, based on childish humour and a love of practical jokes, but the longer Sasuke observed the pair, it was obvious their bond was a deeper kind of friendship. Naruto cherished his friends dearly.

He really wished he hadn't let Naruto talk him into coming along to this stupid thing. Naruto was talking animatedly in the centre of the room, surrounded by people Sasuke didn't care to recognise. Some of the faces were vaguely familiar from the hallways and the other dorm rooms, but some were entirely new. He watched as others surrounded Naruto. Since when had he made so many friends? Sasuke huffed as he wondered why he was bothered by it. Over the weeks since what Sasuke liked to refer to as 'The Incident' they had formed a tentative friendship.

Sasuke liked to tell himself it was through a sense of reciprocation; he was rewarding Naruto's silence with what Naruto seemed to want from him the most. A bond. A friendship. He had been incessant with his need for forming a bond. His so-called kind gestures and friendly offerings to Sasuke did not go unnoticed and Sasuke could feel himself warming towards the other boy. As much as he didn't want Naruto's attention or have time for friendship, he wasn't _entirely_ heartless. It was hard to hate someone who was genuinely being kind.

Naruto came over, wrapping one arm around Sasuke.

"Having fun?" he asked loudly, straight into Sasuke's ear, making him wince. He shoved Naruto off, but the offending arm came right back around.

Naruto snatched Sasuke's drink away, playfully raising his eyebrows, and took a large swig. He spat it out hurriedly.

"Water?" Naruto snorted. "The second party you've been to of the year and you're drinking _water_?" he teased.

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he shoved Naruto off again. He had never seen the sense in alcohol. Why incapacitate yourself and slow your reaction times. It seemed like a disaster waiting to happen. Then there was the risk of alcohol poisoning. He eyed the student around the room. The amount of alcohol being consumed that was probably a likely outcome for some of them.

There was also the fact that Sasuke vividly remembered his Father never being without a drink in his hand. If it had ever been a problem, Sasuke knew his Father never would have admitted it and his Mother never would have gone against his wishes. He took a sharp breath, pulling himself from his memories.

Kiba promptly tripped over a rogue sofa cushion and landed awkwardly on his face. His drink landed in the lap of a very unimpressed blonde-haired girl who stormed off with an exasperated sigh. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. If only he could escape so easily, too.

"Yes, please tell me more about how I'd like to look as graceful as you two idiots." He said.

He also vowed that if either of them were suffering from alcohol poisoning by the end of the night, they could just very well die. Sasuke wasn't taking time out of his schedule to drag any of them to the hospital.

Naruto pushed him playfully.

"Ah, you love us really!"

Naruto scuttled off again. He picked Kiba up off the floor, poking his cheeks.

"These tattoos are weird." He said.

Kiba laughed.

"I know, man!" he laughed. He proceeded to tell Naruto the origin of the tattoos and how he'd been ridiculously drunk at the time. The laugh fell off Kiba's face and he elbowed Naruto painfully in the ribs.

"The girls have arrived!" he said, eyes wide and fixed to the door.

Naruto's head snapped around and watched Sakura and Ino enter the room, along with a group of their girlfriends. Sasuke's face crinkled in distaste as Naruto and Kiba bounded over. Kiba was all over them like an overenthusiastic puppy. Naruto had his arm snaked around Sakura. She laughed and flipped her long silky hair as Naruto handed her a drink. Sasuke suddenly wished he had been drinking something stronger than water.

Sasuke felt a presence behind him. One of Naruto friends was leaning against the counter, also watching the commotion. Sasuke remembered him as Shikamaru; Naruto had introduced them once before in the corridor.

"Troublesome, eh?" he said lazily.

Sasuke didn't reply. Shikamaru regarded Sasuke, who had been watching the group intently since they walked in.

"Just so you know," Shikamaru said, an eye cracking open, his airy demeanour taking on a slightly more serious tone. "The blonde is spoken for."

Sasuke coughed, choking on his drink.

"Excuse me?" he hissed. Had Naruto made a move on Sakura without him noticing? That couldn't be possible!

"Temari. She's Gaara's sister. Don't even think about it." He advised.

Sasuke watched the other blonde, stood near Ino, look over at Shikamaru. She didn't bother with the coy looks like all the other girls, and winked at Shikamaru. She was tall and slim, with dirty blonde hair pulled back into four spiked bunches. Sasuke couldn't help but be impressed; it made a refreshing change. Sasuke had been all too aware of the eyes that had been on him since he'd walked in. girls, looking shyly across from the room, the alcohol not yet giving them the courage they needed to come over and make an introduction.

Sasuke planned to be long gone before that moment came. The so-called music was hurting his ears, he had a deadline tomorrow and an early lecture. He set his cup down with a groan. Since when had he aged about forty years? Regardless, he had things to do tomorrow and he wasn't having any fun standing and watching Naruto hit on girls all night. He eyed the door and readied himself to leave.

Yet, Sasuke didn't move, and continued to mentally burn holes in Naruto's female companions. The girls around Naruto seemed to be multiplying.

"H-Hello, I'm Hinata," a soft voice came from beside Sasuke. He turned. A short, ample-chested girl looked up at him shyly. Her eyes were pale and milky, almost white.

"I'm not interested." Sasuke said simply.

"B-but-"

"Not interested!" he snapped back sharply.

The dark-haired girl, looking horrified, turned away. Kiba was there in an instant, taking her hand.

"Is this bastard giving you any trouble?" he asked, brown eyes on Sasuke warily.

"N-no!" she said. She was crimson from embarrassment and placed her hands over her heated cheeks.

"Don't let him bother you, he can't help his asshole ways." Kiba explained.

Kiba led the uncomfortable girl away from Sasuke as he threw a final glare in Sasuke's direction. Sasuke's eye was caught by something across the room. The music had slowed to something more sensual. Naruto was on the other side of the room with Sakura. He grabbed her by the hips and pulled her against his body. Sasuke twitched. Sakura made no move of protest and instead, with a brief look over at Sasuke, aligned herself flush with Naruto. Sakura was now pressed fully against Naruto, closer to him than he, his roommate, had ever been.

 _And ever would be._

Naruto's dancing was hypnotic, and his shirt was riding up, revealing more and more of that tanned skin. Sasuke's skin started to itch and his pulse was racing. Some unknown feeling was boiling deep in his stomach. Naruto was rolling his hips to the music, his hands on Sakura's waist. Sasuke's anger was reaching critical mass. He needed to _leave._ Through his wave of unexplicable anger, he could hear Kiba cheering Naruto on. Kiba himself had his arm slung around a blushing Hinata and an equally pale-eyed boy was watching the pair with concern.

"Fuck this." Sasuke snapped, throwing his half-empty plastic cup in the sink, forcefully pushing past the pack of people in the hallway and leaving. Why he had spent most of his evening watching Naruto dry fuck Sakura, he would never know.

Sasuke stalked through the building. Luckily it hadn't been far from their own building. He reached the outside and the cool night breeze was a welcome feeling. He could still hear the music pumping in the background, but it was much quieter now. The fresh air calmed his anger slightly.

"Sasuke!"

He turned, to find Naruto behind him. He was surprised Naruto had even noticed, let alone managed to catch up so quicklys. Just seconds ago he had been completely wrapped up with Sakura.

"You're leaving so soon?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

"You noticed." Sasuke challenged icily.

Naruto blinked.

"Whatever, I'm heading back. You have fun with _Sakura._ " He spat the name.

Sasuke knew he probably wasn't making much sense to Naruto, but he didn't care. He wasn't making any sense to himself. He was too angry to censor himself. Anger made Sasuke do reckless things; that was a proven fact. The way he felt now, he just wanted to knock some sense into Naruto. Repeatedly.

Naruto didn't head back, however, he trailed after Sasuke.

"You know, how do you expect to have any fun if you sit in the kitchen all night with the sponges?" Naruto countered.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and kept walking.

"Just go back and have fun. I thought you were drunk, anyway?" he said, watching Naruto walk in a perfectly straight line. He'd watched Naruto throw the drinks back all night.

He shrugged. "High tolerance."

Great. He'd been dancing with Sakura, so obscenely, dead _sober._ Somehow, that realisation made Sasuke feel worse. He pushed their door open with more force than necessary glad he was back. He felt like he needed to shower for a week after what he had just witnessed in there.

"Let's just go back, Sasuke! Kiba is gonna wonder where we are!" he said.

"No." by Sasuke's calculations of Kiba's drinks, he was probably unconscious by now. Having probably vomited over some poor, unsuspecting soul.

"Ah, come on, Sasuke! It'll be fun!" Naruto whined.

Sasuke's patience snapped.

"You do realise that you can function without me?" he hissed. He needed Naruto to just _leave._

Naruto blinked. "What?"

He needed Naruto to leave. He needed to be alone, to get his emotions back in check. He was blind with anger, but with no real reason to be. It was like being a teenager again.

"You're so dependent on me! It's pathetic! Get a grip and live your own life. No wonder people never accepted you, you're such a burden!" he snapped.

The look on Naruto's face told Sasuke he'd said what needed to be said to get rid of the other boy. Naruto stood in shock, Sasuke's words hitting hard. Sasuke had always been sharp and unapologetic. He was often rude, but he was never simply _mean._ To have Sasuke use his weaknesses against him was heart breaking. That Sasuke would use something Naruto had shared with him. Confided in him, like he hadn't with Kiba, or Chouji. And he'd turned it against him with the sole purpose to hurt. Because he was annoyed? Bored?

"You bastard." Naruto breathed.

Sasuke swallowed as Naruto's impossibly blue eyes filled with tears. They were blinked away quickly. Sasuke jumped as Naruto door slammed shut. He felt like he couldn't breathe. What had he done? He had forgotten why it had been just so important to drive Naruto away. The room was almost spinning. He hadn't felt this awful since the last time he had spoken to Itachi. Sasuke crossed the room, placing his palm on the cool wood of Naruto's bedroom door.

He could hear Naruto crying softly inside. He wanted to go inside, apologise, tell Naruto he was having a momentary lapse of insanity. Anything to make Naruto feel better. Sasuke grit his teeth, knowing his pride would never allow him to go in and apologise. Annoyed, Sasuke snatched up his wallet and his coat and left the flat, venting some of his anger by loudly slamming the door.

* * *

Naruto heard a loud thump. He looked up from his books warily. Was someone trying to break in? Was that even possible? You needed a key card to get into the building. Naruto had been pretty impressed by the security. He flew into the hallway on high alert, switching the light on. He found Sasuke crumpled on the floor, his legs tangled up in his own scarf. Naruto's first instinct was to laugh, but he was still absolutely furious with Sasuke, and something about Sasuke's demeanour didn't seem right.

"What are you doing?" he snapped, still very angry at Sasuke.

Sasuke freed himself and staggered to his feet, using the wall for support.

"Wardrobe malfunction." He said simply, before walking through into the communal area. He flopped down on the sofa. Naruto blinked and took in his dishevelled appearance.

"You're drunk." Naruto said. His voice came out as a mixture of surprise and worry.

Sasuke had finished back-to-back exams and coursework and hadn't touched alcohol. Naruto had found him drinking _water_ at Tenten's party. Why would he choose now to start loosening up? Sasuke's cheeks were lightly dusted pink from the alcohol and Naruto filed this away to tease Sasuke with at a later date.

"It's…" Naruto turned to squint at the barely illuminated clock hanging in the kitchen. "It's nearly four in the morning."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Your point?"

"I don't…how did you even get hold of alcohol this time of night?"

"You're so naive, Naruto. We're on campus." He said with a snort.

Sasuke rarely drank alcohol and he knew he was going to wake up with one hell of a hangover. He just needed to drink until he felt better. Until he didn't see Naruto's eyes filled with tears. Until he couldn't feel it anymore. Except, it hadn't quite worked. The guilt in Sasuke hadn't dulled much. The room was spinning. He watched Naruto walk into the kitchen area and pour a glass of water. Sasuke refused it with a wave of his hand. Naruto placed it down with a sigh, looking down at Sasuke. He looked _awful._ Maybe he did have a conscience in there somewhere. Or maybe this had nothing to do with him, as always.

Maybe something else was bothering Sasuke. Naruto could always sense something was setting Sasuke on edge. Yet he would never speak of it, no matter how often Naruto pressed. He obviously didn't feel comfortable sharing, or confident Naruto could keep his secrets, or that Naruto wouldn't judge whatever he had to say. This realisation hurt. He would trust Sasuke with anything. Apparently it wasn't mutual. Naruto wondered if Sasuke had ever, truly, trusted and confided in another human being.

Sasuke reached out, letting his fingers touch gently against the straight, parallel scars on Naruto's face.

Naruto's skin was like fire under his fingertips and he pulled his hand back quickly.

 _This_ is why Sasuke chose not to drink alcohol. It lowered the inhibitions to a laughable level. He couldn't afford to lose himself around Naruto.

Naruto's eyes are red. His own eyes were red, though not from tears. "I didn't want to say what I did." Sasuke admitted. Naruto passed him the water.

"Okay," Naruto replied noncommittally.

"I can't. It can't be like this, not again."

"You're drunk. Drink your water." Naruto said, in response to Sasuke's nonsensical words.

"I didn't want to say what I said." He repeated.

Naruto supposed that was as close to an apology as Sasuke got. It wasn't enough.

"I heard you the first time. Just go to sleep."

Naruto grabbed one of the orange blankets from the other side of the sofa and threw it over Sasuke. Sasuke made a grunt of disapproval; even drunk, he could appreciate how vile the orange blanket was and how undignified it was to be sleeping under such a thing. He turned to tell Naruto his feelings on the matter, yet he was gone. Naruto's bedroom door shut with a soft click.

Sasuke sighed, the room still turning wildly. He closed his eyes, though this seemed to make the spinning worse. Seconds later, he was sleeping.


	6. Chapter 6

Things had been even more strained between the pair since the fight. Naruto could tell, in his own way, Sasuke was trying to make things right between them. Sasuke had been quieter than usual and Naruto kept catching him staring with an unreadable expression. Naruto looked up as Sasuke placed something on the edge of his desk.

It was ramen, from Naruto's favourite place in the centre of town. Which happened to be quite a distance away. Naruto appreciated the effort, but still couldn't bring himself to forgive Sasuke just yet. It had hurt so much. Naruto forced his eyes not to linger on the ramen and vowed he would wait until Sasuke left the room until he jumped on it. The smell was intoxicating; he hadn't had fresh ramen in forever! He heard Sasuke sigh and walk out, and Naruto jumped on the noodles, slurping them enthusiastically. Sasuke burst back into the room and Naruto jumped, caught red-handed.

"Predictable." he accused haughtily, masking his relief that at least Naruto would take this small offering.

Naruto flushed.

"Whatever! I accept the ramen, not _you_." Naruto said childishly.

"I'm trying." Sasuke ground out.

Naruto was slightly impressed Sasuke had managed to keep his temper so far with all his rejected olive branches. Naruto assumed Sasuke didn't really understand the concept of rejection, on any level. Naruto put the noodles down.

"Has it occurred to you, Sasuke, to _apologise_?" he asked, the tiredness clear in his voice.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He wanted an actual apology? Naruto was expecting something from him that wasn't in his nature. Considering Naruto tried so hard for the friendship, it pissed him off. Naruto condoned this relationship. Naruto insisted on nurturing this relationship. Sasuke would have been perfectly happy, as he always had been, alone. But Naruto had to screw that all up.

"I told you I didn't mean to say what I did." Sasuke reminded him. He had made himself clear repeatedly. He had regretting his actions. Yet Naruto still wouldn't let it go.

"Still not an apology." Naruto challenged.

Sasuke's patience finally broke.

"Stop acting like you don't know who I am. This is who I've always been. I'm fucked up. Just like you are. Deal with it."

"That's no excuse to be an ass all of your life! I'm trying to help you!" Naruto shot back, stowing his noodles safely under his desk. If Sasuke got irate and spilled his ramen, he'd _never_ be able to accept any apology, let alone how sincere.

"I don't want your help!" he snarled. "Don't you get it? This is all _your_ fault! Insisting we do everything together!"

"It's called _friendship_ , Sasuke, though I know the concept is foreign to you!"

"A friendship you _knew_ I didn't want!" he shot back.

His frustrations are tumbling out of his mouth and he knew this would only make things worse. Naruto didn't understand. He couldn't u _nderstand_ and Sasuke's pride would ever let him just explain _._ He can feel Naruto's frustration and it only fuelled his own. Naruto's confusion was thick in the air. They were from different worlds. They had lived completely different lives. Often, Sasuke found it refreshing. But in circumstances like this, Naruto, so free and open with his companionship, young and naieve, just couldn't start to understand.

Naruto opened his mouth, ready to tell Sasuke to go fuck himself, but Sasuke spoke first; he could see Naruto tensing and readying for further conflict.

"I'm sorry."

The words came out quiet. Sasuke stood in silence, frowning and looking strained, as though uttering just those two words caused him great, physical pain. Naruto stopped dead, his retort dying in his throat as he is suddenly confronted with the fact that he just didn't know what to do with the situation. Sasuke was acting irrationally. Someone so calculated and sure. Something was bubbling under the surface. Naruto's brain ticked over as he assessed the situation.

"There's more to this than I know, isn't there?" he asks slowly.

Naruto's thoughts relived the weird phone calls Sasuke kept getting. The way he wouldn't talk about his home or his past. How he insisted on keeping everyone and everything at a distance. A person doesn't naturally become cold and distance and shy to the world. Something causes them to be that way. Naruto looks into Sasuke's eyes and realises, perhaps, why he had been so quick to anger when he first met Sasuke. They were the same. They were kindred spirits. Sasuke had been through something just has terrible in his past. It was something that marked you, forever.

Sasuke just nods.

"You can tell me, Sasuke. I'm your friend. I care about you." He pressed.

The words pierced like a knife, though he knew if this continued he would truly lose Naruto. And the thought of that set off a panic inside Sasuke he didn't know he was still capable of. Naruto watched the emotions flicker over Sasuke's face and then, suddenly, as quick as they appeared, they were once again hidden under cool impassiveness.

"I can't. Not right now." He said, struggling to keep his voice in line with his face.

Sasuke's voice trembled so slightly that only Naruto, Naruto that knew him so well, caught it.

"But you will tell me?" Naruto asked, cocking his head a little to the left.

For some reason, it was important to him that Sasuke opened up. He didn't know why he kept pressing so hard for Sasuke to share this part of himself but he knew he wouldn't be able to stop. He could tell Sasuke hadn't shared this with anyone else. He wanted to be that one person Sasuke could talk to. The thought of being Sasuke's most important person made him dizzy.

Sasuke moved his head almost imperceptibly and Naruto took this as a nod. Sasuke walked towards the door without saying another word and Naruto finally felt ready.

"I accept your apology." He said, rescuing his ramen from under his desk and digging back in.

The tension visibly disappeared between them and Sasuke felt relief as he realised Naruto had truly forgiven him. Naruto tasted some of the noodles.

"Wow, Sasuke, these are really good! Thank you!" he turned and smiled at Sasuke.

His face lit up with genuine appreciation, his smile showing rows of perfect white teeth, whisker-like marks on his cheeks crinkled up, Sasuke's stomach jumped, a similar feeling he remembered experiencing when he had watched Naruto dance with Sakura. Sasuke's brain finally began making the connections.

 _Oh God, no…_

* * *

Sasuke sighed heavily as he opened the door to the flat. He hated his Thursday lectures. They were taken by a particularly dull and monotonous professor, who clearly had nothing other than retirement in his near future and couldn't care less for the learning quality of his students.

Sasuke knew he would have to do a lot of extra work in his free time to try and make sense of the old man's ramblings. Time, with all his other work, he simply could afford. Naruto had often teased Sasuke for taking studies in law. He would poke fun at the old, oversized textbooks and chastise him for taking such an awful, boring subject. But studying law always made Sasuke feel comfortable and strangely at peace. Rules were rules, and policies were made to be followed and anything outside of that was rejected. Plus, Sasuke would never forget when he had mentioned to his father that he, too, would strive to become a lawyer. His father had looked upon him with pride. That had been the first time his father had looked at him so proudly. Usually, anything Sasuke managed to achieve was overlooked; Itachi had already done it. Sasuke felt punishing being the younger sibling and no matter how hard he tried to catch up to his brother, the elder sibling just had the advantage. Itachi had always had the advantage.

Sasuke froze as he heard two voices coming from the kitchen. The noises pulled him from his thoughts. He heard Naruto laugh loudly and uninhibited. It had been a while since he'd heard Naruto laugh at all. Naruto had company over? It wasn't Kiba; Sasuke would know his loud, grating voice anywhere. This voice was softer, quieter, yet distinctly male and for some reason it set Sasuke on edge.

He walked into the kitchen, guarded. He found Naruto lazing on the sofa with a fellow student. They were sitting awfully close together. He had long, silken brown hair and the lightest eyes Sasuke had ever seen. Who was this person and why was he in Sasuke's kitchen? Naruto seemed to sense Sasuke's unwelcoming aura.

"Ah, Sasuke! This is Neji!" he said. "He's on my course. We've actually got quite a few classes together!"

Sasuke could see the pages of work on the floor, accumulating by an open pizza box. There were two slices left. Sasuke felt a stab of jealousy feeling he had been replaced from helping Naruto with his studies. Apparently he didn't need any help since he had Neji now. Neji stood, politely introducing himself, extending a hand to Sasuke. Sasuke didn't shake it. There was already something about Neji he didn't like, though he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke." He said curtly. Neji pulled his hand back, before sitting back down on the sofa again, next to Naruto.

Naruto snorted; it always amused as Sasuke continued to introduce himself like James Bond.

"I saved you some pizza!" Naruto said, waving towards the cold slices, trying to cut through the tension. His efforts were in vain.

"Uchiha. Yes, I've heard of your family." Neji said.

Sasuke could hear the challenge in Neji's tone. Though the statement surprised Sasuke and send his mind reeling into questions and uncertainty, he wouldn't show it. While strange, it wasn't completely impossible that he would come across someone who knew about his circumstances. His father had been very well known in their community and very respected. He had been one of the most sought-after lawyers in the country and beyond.

"Oh really." He replied icily.

 _You say a fucking word._ Sasuke challenged him mentally. The smirk on Neji's face showing he was unafraid on the threat underpinning Sasuke's cold glare.

Naruto's eyes darted from Neji to Sasuke, and then back. The atmosphere in the room had shifted. Sasuke's glare lingered on Neji, then he left, without speaking a word.

"Ah, sorry about that," Naruto said, snatching up one of the remaining slices of pizza since Sasuke had rejected the offering. The toppings fell haphazardly in over the box. The pizza had gone cold, but Naruto didn't mind.

"Sasuke is… well, he's Sasuke." He said with a shrug.

Naruto couldn't really explain Sasuke and his strange ways.

"So, you know Sasuke's parents?" he asked curiously. "It really is a small world, eh! Are they nice?" he asked.

Neji considered Naruto for a moment. Weren't he and Sasuke supposed to be close? Was it really possible Sasuke hadn't told Naruto about the most defining moment in his life? He found this interesting. While he wasn't one for sharing intimate details of his private life, he did confide in a select few trusted friends.

"He hasn't told you?" Neji asked, testing the situation.

"Told me what?" Naruto mumbled through a bite of pizza.

"It's really not my place to say." Neji admitted. No wonder Sasuke had been trying to glare a hole through him. Naruto had no idea.

Naruto's curiosity was truly piqued. What could Neji know about Sasuke that he didn't? Sasuke wasn't exactly one to share. He pondered this while crunching the crust of the pizza loudly. Naruto wiped the crumbs away with his sleeve. He stared at Neji, eyes wide with curiosity, and his face told Neji that he wouldn't relent. The brown-haired boy sighed.

"I don't know much," he admitted honestly. "My father once did business with his father. Fugaku was very well respected and had quite the background. He was head of the police force for some time, before he moved into law."

Naruto's eyes were wide. Sasuke's father was head of the police force? Why did this seem so fitting? And why hadn't Sasuke mentioned this before?

"And then there was… the incident." Neji said slowly.

"Incident?" Naruto asked, wiping his face again.

Neji shook his head.

"It really isn't my place to tell you, Naruto." Neji said.

As much as he didn't like Sasuke from what he had seen so far, he would respect the fact that the Uchiha wanted his privacy. Apparently from his closest friend, but that was his prerogative. Naruto didn't relent. Sasuke was a closed book and Naruto would get to know him any way he could.

"I care about Sasuke," he admitted quietly. "I want to know these things, but he won't share. Is there anything you know that I can't find out on Google right now?" Naruto asked.

Neji was caught. He knew if Naruto typed in Sasuke's name he would probably come across the newspaper articles from the time of the incident. Being such a high profile family, it had been all over the news for months. It had been such a huge scandal, the media had been all but ravenous over the story.

"His family… they were murdered, Naruto." Neji breathed.

Naruto gripped the sofa tightly. Suddenly, Sasuke's whole attitude to the world made a little more sense. He wondered why, despite Sasuke's attitude, he had been drawn to the other from the beginning. Like two lost souls finding one another. Naruto could relate on how it felt not to have a family. In comparison to Sasuke's situation, Naruto preferred his own. It was better to have never had a family from the start than to have a family and lose everything.

"Did they catch the killer?" he asked fearfully.

"I don't think so," Neji said, his voice still hushed. "All I know is that the only survivors were Sasuke and his older brother, who disappeared straight after. No one has heard from him since."

Naruto sat in silence, his mind reeling. How he wished he hadn't pressed Neji for this information. This wasn't his business. He had no right to be pushing into Sasuke's life like this.

 _Oh God, the phone calls Sasuke was getting!_

Naruto's mind spun, remembered the time he had walked in of the tail end of a phone conversation.

' _You murdered our family'_

Sasuke was getting calls from the person that had killed his family. He couldn't breathe. How had Sasuke been dealing with this alone for so long? Why hadn't he sought help? Naruto felt an even greater sense of dread as he remember what Sasuke had admitted to him that time.

" _It was my brother. On the phone."_

 _You murdered our family. You murdered_ our _family._ Sasuke blamed his brother for the death of his family? Surely that wasn't fair? Is that why Sasuke's brother disappeared, Sasuke pressing all the blame onto his older brother who just couldn't take the accusations any longer and he left? Naruto felt a hand on his arm.

"You alright?"

"Y-yeah, I'm just… shocked I guess? I feel awful. Poor Sasuke. He never…he never told me any of this."

He didn't reveal any of his further revelations to Neji and kept thinking it through silently in his head. Sasuke held his older brother responsible for the death of their family. And he was still calling Sasuke to this day, potentially to try and rebuild their relationship. From what Naruto remembered of overhearing on the phonecalls, and Sasuke's tone, Sasuke was in no mood for forgiveness. It seemed he really did blame his brother, for some unkonown reason, and was happier without his presence. Naruto felt struck deeply. If he had any family out there in the world, he would do just about anything to be a part of their life. Family was a gift. Something to be cherished. But Sasuke didn't feel the same.

Neji shrugged, pulling his books together.

"You should talk to him." He suggested. "I'll call you later and check you're still alive." He added with a smirk.

Swallowing nervously, Naruto camped out in the kitchen waiting for Sasuke to emerge. He hadn't had any of the pizza so Naruto knew he would come out soon for food. Just half an hour later, Naruto's prediction came true. He stared at Sasuke in a new light. How was he still standing? Naruto, too, had lost his parents but that had been different. Had Sasuke seen the murder? Had Sasuke been the one to find his parents? The thought made Naruto shake.

Sasuke took one look at Naruto's face and decided the next time he saw Neji Hyuuga he would ensure to strangle him so he couldn't spread any more gossip.

"What exactly did Hyuuga tell you?" he asked lowly.

Sasuke was pleased to note the embarrassed look fleeting across Naruto's face, caught out in his snooping.

"I wish you'd told me." Naruto said, his voice coming out small. "You shouldn't have to carry a burden like this alone."

This was exactly the kind of thing you were supposed to share with friends.

"What _exactly_ did he tell you?" Sasuke asked again.

Naruto bit his lip.

"He told me your parents were killed." Naruto admitted.

"That's it?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto looked at him as though he'd gone insane.

"That's _it_?" he asked incredulously. "Sasuke, I-"

He fell silent as Sasuke sat down heavily next to him.

Sasuke couldn't explain why he suddenly felt the need to tell Naruto what happened. There were only three people alive who knew the true events of that night. Itachi, Sasuke, and the police officer who had taken charge of the case and who had also taken Sasuke in, Kakashi. Kakashi had taken over the department once his father had left and he had always seen Itachi and Sasuke as the sons he never had. Kakashi had also worked closely with Itachi on the force and Sasuke knew he partly held himself responsible for not noticing Itachi's psychiatric condition sooner. Sasuke had never blamed him.

Naruto took a breath.

"I understand, in a tradgey, its easy to blame." Naruto said, his voice but a whisper. "It's easy to be angry, so you don't have to focus on all the other things you're feeling. But don't you think you should make peace with your brother?" he asked calmly.

Sasuke let out a breath. The sound was close to a laugh.

"It was my brother. Who killed them." Sasuke said. The words felt stiff and strange.

"He was sick, and we didn't know. He'd convinced himself there was this whole government conspiracy and the only way to keep me safe would be to kill our parents. So he did." Sasuke said.

Naruto remained silent as Sasuke spoke. "I came home from school and I-I found them. Itachi was on the police force, so when he came home with a gun," Sasuke shrugged. "No one would have thought anything of it. He shot them both. It was only later I realised that my parents' home had been the last. He'd gone through the entire compound and killed all our family."

Naruto's breath hitched and he grabbed Sasuke's arm tightly. Tears were falling down whiskered cheers.

"Don't cry, idiot." Sasuke muttered, becoming uncomfortable with the situation.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." Naruto said honestly.

Sasuke let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. There was no pity on Naruto's face, only empathy. Sasuke's one worry had been that Naruto would pity him. He couldn't _stand_ that. It was one of the reasons why he moved away. People still didn't know the whole story, what had really happened, but they looked on him with faces full of pity anyway. It drove Sasuke to madness. Sasuke reached out before he could stop himself and wiped away a lone tear from a whiskered cheek.

"You can trust me with this, Sasuke." He said honestly. The sincerity in Naruto's eyes was almost painful. "Please don't push me away."

Sasuke considered this. How well Naruto knew him. They both knew Sasuke would try and pretend this hadn't happened in the morning, would pull away from Naruto, and make him never speak of it again.

"Whatever." Sasuke muttered.

Naruto grabbed him.

"No!" he said suddenly, almost making Sasuke jump. "You've been picking fights for no reason and being an asshole. You're trying to push me away. Why? How can you trust me with something like this in one breath, and in the other try and act like our friendship is meaningless?" he asked

He needed the answer quickly. He could practically visualise Sasuke's shell closing up around him.

 _Fuck it._ Sasuke thought, throwing caution to the wind.

"I'm becoming dependant on you." Sasuke admitted painfully. "And it's disgusting."

Naruto blinked. This wasn't what he was expecting.

"It's not wrong to depend on another, Sasuke. It's human." Naruto admitted.

 _If only you really knew how I felt._ Sasuke's brain supplied dully. It had taken Sasuke a few days to process and understand the strange feelings he had been experiencing around Naruto. Eventually he couldn't pretend to himself that it wasn't happening. He had a sexual attraction to Naruto. Naruto, who was the most obnoxious person he had met. Naruto, who was painfully and openly straight and currently setting his sights on a shallow, pink-haired idiot.

"I can't." he said through gritted teeth. "The last person I loved like this was Itachi."

Sasuke couldn't even _believe_ that had come out his mouth. He did love Naruto as much as he had loved his older brother. But in _extremely_ different ways. He hated himself for speaking out loud that he felt a brotherly love for Naruto. Now he really would never see him in any other way.

 _Not that he would, regardless._

Naruto felt overwhelmed as Sasuke spoke of loving him as he had loved his brother. The brother he had idolised and put his trust in. it touched him. This had been everything Naruto had been hoping for from his relationship with Sasuke. To finally have Sasuke open up this way, share himself, was exhilarating.

"You just have to trust that I'm not going to hurt you." Naruto said.

 _I already do. And that's what scares me the most._

Naruto's face suddenly became sunny, drawing an entirely different parallel between himself and Itachi.

"I've…I've never had a sibling, Sasuke. I know we're not family, but you're so important to me. You're like the brother I never had!"

 _Fucking great. Just. Fucking. Great._


End file.
